The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1887-11-29
A DENTISTS LIFE.
Some Of the Odd Customers Encountered
In Dental Offices.


In Dental Of1oes.
! mo professional man sees more of
the ludicrous side of life or is associ-
ated TO greater extent with all classes
of people than ;" remarked a we'll
known dentist "I have often won
dered why some enterprising publisher
did not compile and issue book con-
tanning few of the funny incidents to
be noted daily in the office of almost
any practitioner. 1t is simply surpris-
ing how utterly ignorant some people
are about Odontology. Among the
younger classes this ignorance is not to
be wondered at for perhaps the major
ity of them have had no occasion to
visit dentist. But among the older
class it is different Their experience
in this particular branch of science be-
gan long ago in the days Of the turn
key when in order TO obtain relief
from humping toothaehe they were
obliged TO walk perhaps five miles and
then be stood up by country doctor
against q beech tree alongside his Office
l
tooth actually pried out. Probably it
is no wonder that such people do not
know how to conduct themselves when
they enter the palatial establishment of
a modern practitioner.
IL remember very well an incident
which took place in my office some
months ago." he continued. with a
chuckle. "A lady, accompanied by
her husband, both apparently from the
rural districts, came in and requested
set of teeth. / seated the lady in a
chair, and after making an examination
of her mouth and gums made few in
quiries regarding the teeth wanted.
After the usual preliminaries L re-
quested her to remain seated while L
prepared to take an impression of her
mouth.
".An IMPRESSION she exclaimed. Il
don't want no impression. l want
some teeth
Certainly, madam 1 responded.
but in order to make your teeth L
must have an impression of your
mouth. You can not get your teeth
for perhaps week
"Make 'em! A week. Why, 1
lowed you'd have 'em already made
Il couldn't laugh, although wanted
TO, and after Il vain attempt to explain
to her the great difference that existed
between all mouths and teeth, she sal
Cd III .,I
having been without teeth for eighteen
years, and not proposing TO wait week
longer.
another incident recall is that of
II maiden lady who called on me one
day for teeth. She was characters
tic old maid, regular Aunt Ophelia.
Her general air and her quaint make
up would have made you laugh. Home
"? Well, she wasn't the ugliest wom-
an ever saw, but at the same time
don't think Boston would have given
ten thousand dollars for her, even if
she could have numbered baseball
among her accomplishments She was
extremely reticent in informing me
that she had no teeth.
There's heap o. folks down our
way that don't know it, said she, and
now, doctor. here's an old picture of
mine taken some time ago. wish
you would make my teeth make me
look young like i did when that was
taken. Will YOu?'
.'She handed me an old daguerreo-
type, the likeness of which was that of
a bright, blushing and remarkably
good-looking damsel. but 70 save me
could distinguish no resemblance be-
tween it and the lady before me. at
once realized the situation i was in
and the task that had been assigned
me. You can scarcely imagine my po-
sition and the time had explaining to
her that my business was that of max
ing artificial and treating natural
teeth, and not that of remOdeling an
tiquated old maids into Dearborn av-
enue bellies.
Probably very few people will be-
lieve this. but it is true. nevertheless,
that nearly every dentist is daily i'm
portuned to purchase half-decayed
teeth that have been extracted.
Some people imagine that these ruins
are very valuable and may be used
again in the construction of artificial
teeth. n-Chicd1o NetOs.